In Defense of McNabb...and...Deion Sanders is a Tool

As if anyone needed Deion Sanders' toolness to be articulated, he's been going into overdrive to prove it. He's been mouthing off on NFL Network about how Donovan McNabb wants out of Philadelphia. I hope this doesn't come to pass just so Sanders will have to shut up.

I don't think that the Eagles' front office is ready to part ways with McNabb. If they are smart, they will listen to Andy Reid, who proclaimed that McNabb is the "best quarterback in the NFL" or something to that affect.

Since it seems very likely that the Eagles front office will not be changing head coaches, it follows that this same management team, which has lived and died with McNabb, will not be making a QB change either.

In the playoff loss against the Cardinals, McNabb was 28 of 47 and passed for 375 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He led the team on an improbable comeback and deserves props for not allowing the game to get out of hand - and in fact, almost leading the Eagles to a win.

With Brian Westbrook and Desean Jackson (finally - a very good receiver) in place, I think the future is bright for the Eagles. They have a lot to build upon, considering the way this season went. I didn't think they'd even make the playoffs, let alone the NFC Title game.

Even if McNabb hasn't been able to win the NFC Title games, at least the Eagles are getting there. There are at least 15 teams in the NFL that would love to say that they even had a shot at a title game, or even a playoff game.

If anyone - Sanders included - thinks that the Eagles will be parting ways with McNabb - or, more laughably, be better off without him - I suggest reliving the Eagles/Ravens game. That's Philly's future without McNabb. Pretty scary. I suspect that McNabb and Reid will both be back next year.

And, despite what a few, loud naysayers will bleat (and what ESPN will surely focus on, because...they lack objectivity or judgment...?), the Eagles will be better for it.

SJ's Title Game Madness: Devil's Advocate

What would be the worst case scenario for a Steelers fan who also pulls for the local-team Eagles? Why, a Ravens/Cardinals Super Bowl, of course.

Could that happen? Sure it could. Arizona and Baltimore didn't get here because they lost games. They're here because they won games. Some pretty good ones.

The Ravens beat the Lazurus-like Miami Dolphins and the AFC's top-seeded Titans to get here, causing all sorts of havoc on defense and taking the ball away from these two teams, that, prior to facing Baltimore did a good job of taking care of the ball.

The Cardinals beat the surprising - and should be good for years to come - Falcons and the suddenly turnover-prone Caolina Panthers. On paper, both teams are better than the Cards. But as the Talking Heads once intoned: "Go ahead, tear it up...rip up the paper."

Let's look at some Raven facts for a moment. They've already lost to the Steelers twice this season, and they are 1-3 against the Mike Tomlin-led Black & Gold. As if they needed anything to stoke their hatred of the Steelers, all they need to do is remember November 5, 2007 - a Monday Night Football game in which the Steelers destroyed the Ravens 38-7. How could you ask for more in terms of hate than to be humliliated on national television? That was then, this is now.

As for the Cardinals, they could use that 48-20 Thanksgiving Day loss as a stick. I can tell you that the Philadelphia media and fans are never more annoying than at times like this.

And before we go down that road, let me state here that Philadelphia fans are great fans. They don't take losing lightly and they expect their teams to give their all. The fans get a bad rap, and I am not, in any way, saying anything negative here. What I said earlier is merely the impression one can get when listening to a Philly-based sports radio show. It seems that only the losers and loonies call in. Write it down - Philly has a great fan base.

Now, on to the rhetoric that I am hearing...Arizona has no chance. The evening drive guy on ESPN radio, Mike Missanelli, dismisses without any hope of refutation any talk that the Cardinals even have a chance. As though the very notion is patently impossible.

After hate, there's nothing like disrespect to get a team going.

The Ravens come at you. Dare you to TRY to move the ball on their defense. They hit hard and intimidate and they prey bloodthirstily on opposing quarterbacks. Especially inexperienced ones. They pride themselves on limiting running backs to sub-100 yard days and on creating turnovers.

With bright, shiny talent on defense - names we all know - like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs (maybe) and lesser known names on offense like Todd Heap, Joe Flacco and Le'Ron McClain (who ripped off numerous solid runs to the tune of 23 carries for 87 yards against Pittsburgh's number one defense in their December 14th 13-9 loss), the Ravens are not going to be cowed by streaks or a historical numbers and what they say about teams beating teams three times in the same season.

Let jerks like sj-hypocycloid predict that the Steelers will score 30 points on that D. We'll see who gets the last laugh when there are four zeros on the clock, won't we?

As for the Cardinals, they're playing with house money, right? They barely won a crap division, lost badly to the team they're going to face and have gotten so so so lucky in the playoffs. I mean, who, besides Nostradamus, saw Carolina turning the ball over six times?

With a Super Bowl winning (and losing) quarterback in Kurt Warner, a playoff-experienced running back in Edgerrin James, a playoff-experienced head coach and assistant head coach in Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm, why should the Cardinals feel they have anything other than a great chance to win?

In addition to that QB, RB and coaches, they've got a couple of great-to-very-good receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. I'm quite sure they're going to get their fair share of catches.

No team has been more disrespected during this playoff run - and especially this week - than the Arizona Cardinals. I'm sure they've heard and reacted to all the knocks and posted some bulletin board material. Will it be enough?

No matter what happens, all four teams have given us some good football to watch and have provided their fans with many great moments to savor forever. Two will lose - it's just the nature of the beast.

I, of course, am rooting for the Steelers and Eagles. But I would not be shocked at all to see things go another way. Since 1994, Pittsburgh (2-4) and Philadelphia (1-3) are a combined 3-6 in title games and 1-2 in Super Bowls. Quite a dubious result from two teams that have won so much in the past 15 years.

The Bill Cowher-led Steelers exorcised their demons by winning Super Bowl XLII in January 2005. Can Tomlin match his predecessor? The Eagles have known little more than heartbreak in the NFL's biggest game. Could this be their year?

Or is this the year of the Cardinals/Ravens Super Bowl? I don't know about you, but I can't wait to find out!

Next Stop, Super Bowl!

So here it is - the last weekend of football before the Super Bowl. Only four teams left - The Arizona Cardinals, The Philadelphia Eagles, The Pittsburgh Steelers and The Baltimore Ravens.

Each team had their own way of getting here - but make no mistake. All of these teams earned their spot. They had their struggles and problems throughout the year, but they proved they belonged as they advanced through the postseason.

Only the Steelers have had the good fortune to have played only one game thus far, having earned a first round bye. This could be seen as an advantage. Or not. The other teams that had earned a first round bye are now preparing to watch the games on TV this weekend, just like I plan to do.

These teams have a few things in common, some of which have been mentioned more than a few times:

There are three bird-themed teams playing this weekend.

The teams with the top three defenses in the NFL are playing this weekend.

And one interesting (well, to me, anyway) to note: The Cardinals are kinda Pittsburgh south. Their head coach, Ken Whisenhunt, is a former Steelers offensive coordinator. Their assistant head coach and offensive line coach is Russ Grimm, who held these positions for the Steelers. And their dynamic receiver, Larry Fitzgerald is a product of Pitt.

What does all that mean? Nothing. Just something I felt like noting.

As for the games, I think that my record of picking the playoff games so far tell a lot about which way I am leaning. I was 1-3 in week one with my picks, being right only on the Eagles game. I was 2-2 this weeekend, correctly picking the Eagles and Steelers.

So I think I'll keep with that stategy.

Eagles / Cardinals

The early game matches The Eagles and The Cardinals. Both teams had nine regular season wins and had impressive wins in their second playoff matchups - Philadelphia defeating the defending Super Bowl champ Giants and Arizona defeating the favored (and home team) Carolina Panthers.

So both of these teams are up and running and ready to go. As has been the case often in these playoffs, this game is a rematch. As I'm sure most of you reading this know - the Eagles beat the Cardinals 48-20 on Thanksgiving evening.

I expect an Eagles win again this time, but I don't see it being such a wide margin. In my mind, the Eagles need to pressure Kurt Warner and force the Cardinals to play the game on the run. I think that the Eagles will control the running game, so the Cards need to get their passing game going in order to win. Anquan Boldin is expected to play this weekend, so that means that the Eagles will have an extra deep threat to worry about.

If I was the Cards, I'd run an offense that had a lot of 5 to 7 yard dump passes, with the occasional long pass. This might be able to disrupt the Eagles a little bit, as they will surely be blitzing and this would enable Warner to get rid of the ball more quickly.

For the Eagles, I think it's pretty simple. Do what you did last week - run enough to keep the defense honest and go to your strength. Pass the ball around, in that patented Donovan McNabb style - using all your receivers and finding Brian Westbrook when things get tight. With that defense, if you score 20-24 points, you will more than likely win.

Final Score: Eagles 31, Cardinals 20.

Ravens / Steelers

This is the third time that these two teams are meeting this season. The Steelers won both matchups, and you can bet the Ravens hate hate hate to have to admit that. The Steelers probably love to say this. It's pretty safe to say that these two teams hate each other. It's amazing how a lot of hate can make a game so damn interesting.

I've heard all the moaning from Bart Scott about how Hines Ward is a dirty player. They'll say that he put a cheap shot on the Bengals receiver Keith Rivers, breaking his jaw and ending his season. See this for your own look. It looks like a totally clean hit to me.

My favorite part of that is the other videos that come up. "Hines Ward Jacks Up Ed Reed!" or "Hines Ward Destroys Bart Scott" - no wonder the Ravens hate him. I'm sure it ticks them off to no end to have an offensive guy who applies crushing hits. Too bad.

When I hear this, I think of Rashard Mendenhall - whose season was ended after a crushing hit from Ravens All-World linebacker Ray Lewis. Then there was all the chatter of bounties from Terrell Suggs. Whether or not any of this is true is immaterial. The Ravens defense means business. But the Steelers boast the NFL's number one defense. So the Ravens have one more thing to stew about. And another distraction.

Then there's all the hand-wringing about Santonio Holmes' game-winning score in the 13-9 Steelers win. The Ravens, especially Ray Lewis, will tell you that it wasn't a touchdown. Well Ray - that pass to Todd Heap...against the Titans...you know, the one that enabled you guys to make it to this game...the one that has been all over the internet because everyone thinks it was a crap missed call...yeah, that one...

So they're even. If Holmes' TD was a bad call, so was the Heap catch. Let's not talk about either of these two plays anymore. Old news.

Last week, the Ravens defense gave up more ground than Napoleon Bonaparte's Louisiana Purchase. The Titans shredded them, surrendering 281 passing yards and 116 rushing yards.

By contrast, Pittsburgh gave up 308 passing yards - 41 of them in the early stages of the first quarter and 62 more in garbage time at the end of the fourth quarter. But the eye-opener is the 15 total rushing yards. Darren Sproles went from 105 yards to 15. That's two less than the Steel Curtain gave up in Super Bowl IX.

The Ravens are a defense-first, second and third team. If their offense gives them anything, that is usually enough. Pittsburgh knows this. But the Steelers are bit more balanced than that. Willie Parker scored two touchdowns and gained 146 yards rushing last week, in perhaps his second healthy game of the season. Add Ben Roethlisberger's 17 of 26 passing for 181 yards and a TD, and you've got enough points for a win.

The Steelers struggled to get 20 and 13 points in the first two games. Points will be at a premium again this week. I just think that the Steelers are more likely to score points.

Final Score: Steelers 30, Ravens 17.

Battle of the Birds

It's hard to believe we're sitting here talking about the Eagles in the NFC Championship game after the season they had. On at least two different occasions I was convinced the season was over. The first time was after the Ravens debacle, when McNabb was pulled and the team imploded. How did the Eagles respond? By coming back four days later and destroying the Cardinals on Thanksgiving, kicking off a three-game winning streak that put them back in the hunt . . . until the second occasion when I (and almost everybody else) thought the season was over: the Washington game. We all know what happened after that: the Eagles bounced back to annihilate Dallas and Tampa Bay lost at home to Oakland. Absolutely improbable, but here we are, and through two playoff games, the Eagles have proven that they belong here.

Not too many people gave them a chance to beat the Giants, but the game played out pretty much how I thought it would. I knew that if the Eagles contained the running game and forced Manning to beat them, he would fold, and that's exactly what happened. The Eagles were actually fortunate to have the lead at halftime as the offense had not done much, but once again, the defense came up huge and kept them in the game until the offense found its rhythm. And like the Minnesota game, the Eagles took over and dominated the second half. The defense allowed nothing but a field goal, and McNabb fought through the fierce wind to lead the Birds on three more scoring drives, making several key third down throws in the process.

So here we are, in an NFC Championship game that NOBODY predicted: the Battle of the Birds. It's only a shame that the higher seed automatically goes to the division winner, because the Eagles, having the better record, could have hosted the game, and there's no way the Cards would have won in frigid Philly. I still believe the Eagles will win, so do most experts (as the Eagles' road favorite status will attest to), but this game will not be as easy as people think, primarily because the Eagles have played two brutally physical playoff games while the Cardinals have had a relatively easy time of it, but also because we will not see the same Cardinals team that the Eagles blew out in November. They will be at home, on eight days of rest, and brimming with confidence after two impressive victories over Atlanta and Carolina. Also, they are no longer one-dimensional after discovering that Edgerrin James is still on the team, so as I said, this will not be easy.

Still, this game, like most games this time of year, will come down to defense, which is where the Eagles are the far superior team. It's no coincidence that the top three defenses in the league are still playing on Conference Championship weekend. The lone exception: the Cardinals, whose defense was in the middle of the pack. Meanwhile, the Eagles defense has given up 14 points or less in six straight games. The last team to score more than that on them? Arizona. So I'm expecting a fairly high scoring game in this one. Both offenses are capable of putting points on the board, but the red-hot Eagles defense will hold Arizona down enough to secure the win. Eagles 28, Cardinals 20.

As for the AFC Championship, another team of birds, the Ravens, travels to Pittsburgh, where their season will end. I just can't see Baltimore staying in this game unless Pittsburgh completely self destructs, like the Titans did last week. Flacco has had a nice rookie season, and even though he has already seen the Steelers twice, I don't think he has any idea what he'll be walking into on Sunday evening. Baltimore's great defense may keep it close for a while, but Pittsburgh's defense is even better, as is their offense, which will eventually pull away. It would not surprise me if Baltimore fails to score a TD in this game, but I'll give them the benefit of a defensive touchdown. Steelers 20, Ravens 10.

And on to the All-PA Super Bowl I predicted at the beginning of the season!

These go to 11

So the number 11 is having quite a time of it lately. Before this season, it was quite an elusive number. And I thought One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.

First, the Steelers defeated the Chargers 11-10, registering the only 11-10 game in the 87-year history of the NFL.

Then the Eagles defeated the Giants 23-11 in their NFC Divisional game yesterday, notching the only 23-11 game in NFL history.

Yes, good old 11 - it's a fine number. It takes 11 players to field a football team. When I was growing up, my house number was 11. My current house number is a multiple of 11.

Pat Haden, Joe Kapp and Phil Simms wore 11. So did Luis Aparicio, Carl Hubbell, Jim Fregosi, Paul Waner, Sixto Lezcano, Lenn Sakata and Joe Garagiola.

And, of course, being 11 - it's the loudest number in the universe as well.

One loss. One win. Now all we need is an 11-11 game to make the number 11 the sporting world's preeminent prime number and restore the proper balance to the universe.

Rant of the Week

Once again the NFL is the subject of my rant. Last week, I criticized the playoff seeding; this week, it's the scheduling.

Normally I couldn't care less about the Baltimore Ravens, but they are getting shafted by the league as the only team in the divisional round of the playoffs being forced to play on six days of rest. This is a subject close to my heart because the NFL did the same thing to the Eagles two years ago when they forced the Birds to travel to New Orleans on six days of rest. And like the Ravens this year, the Eagles were the only one of the eight remaining playoff teams forced to play that week on six days of rest. If you don't think that extra day makes a big difference, especially this time of the year after a season's worth of bumps and bruises, then you don't know football. The short turnaround was definitely a contributing factor to the Saints being able to rush for so many yards in that game; the Eagles just looked spent.

It would be one thing if there were other teams playing on six days of rest, but to force only one team to do this is blatantly unfair, especially when the scenario is so avoidable. Instead of letting the 8-8 Chargers play on eight days of rest tomorrow, the NFL could have scheduled the Pittsburgh/San Diego game for today, so that both the Chargers and Ravens would be playing on seven days of rest. All they needed to do was adjust the scheduling after the matchups were known last week. Would that have been so difficult?

It's a Pennsylvania Kinda Weekend, Steelers Style

I tried to be objective on this one. I really did. But I hate the Chargers. And it all dates back to that ridiculous playoff game in 1995. Maybe I am one of the few who will remember.

Steelers up 13-3. Then San Diego scores a touchdown with 6:57 left in the third quarter. 13-10. Then they score again with 9:47 to go - 17-13. WTF??? Alfred Pupunu?? Tony Martin?? Stan Humphries??? Gah! It pains me to think of this game. And the Chargers getting pummeled by the 49ers in the Super Bowl didn't help.

But after losing the lead, Pittsburgh, led by Neil O'Donnell, marched down the field. This I remember well. After a season where the Steelers played a conservative, run-oriented game, head man Bill Cowher goes nuts and has O'Donnell drop back to pass 54 times! That's right, 54 times! To O'Donnell's credit, he completed 32 passes and had no picks. Sadly, his last throw, from the Chargers 3, was batted down and the Steelers lost.

No bitterness here. Really. Fast forward 14 years....

The Chargers are back. Coming to Pittsburgh after compiling an 8-8 record and beating Denver on the last day of the season to seal their playoff appearance. Props to the Chargers for eliminating another team I hate. But now, after a week of indifference, I am back to hating the Chargers.

Like the other three games this weekend, this one's a rematch game. The last time these two teams met, you might remember, we had the only 11-10 game in NFL history. I'll mention Troy Polamalu's touchdown that would have made it 18-10 only to attempt to forestall it coming up again. It's done, I'm ready to move on.

So - that game. It was an odd one. The Steelers started pretty lamely, surrendering a 3-yard TD run to LaDainian Tomlinson with 6:46 to go in the first quarter. They looked out of sorts, and, just for a few minutes...I wondered.

But I needn't have worried. The Black N' Gold came back and scored a safety early in the second quarter, then closed out the half with a field goal to make the score a Pirates/Padres-like 7-5. The second half was a lot of up and down the field, netting only three field goals - two from the Steelers and one from San Diego. Jeff Reed's 32-yard boot with 11 seconds on the clock provided the points needed for the win.

Aside from the odd score, another oddity is the fact that Ben Roethlisberger passed for 308 yards - with Hines Ward accounting for 124 of those yards - and Willie Parker ran for 115, and the Steelers failed to score a single touchdown in this game. Unless you count...yeah, I said I wouldn't mention that again, didn't I?

Beyond the TD run, Tomlinson had a pedestrian 52 yards rushing, and Philip Rivers had a game he'd probably rather forget - 164 yards passing, no TDs and two picks. He's done much better for the season, and it would be foolish to think that the Steelers will see that again.

One thing we most likely won't see is L.T. - word on the street is that Tomlinson has a g-g-groin injury (anyone remember that Cheers episode?) and won't be playing. His fill-in, Darren Sproles, had a breakout game last week, accounting for two TD runs, 105 yards rushing and oodles more yards on receptions and kick/punt yardage. Game of your life type of performance.

I think that the Steelers can keep Sproles under control in the running game, but their special teams is often nothing special. I hope they can keep that under control. Add to this Roethlisberger's concussion and Parker's injuries, and the Steelers look vulnerable. But I think the Steelers will do fine even if they have to play Byron Leftwich and Mwelde Moore. These two are more than capable backups and will answer the bell with quality play if needed.

San Diego has come on strong, reeling off five consecutive wins - against some underwhelming competition. Tampa Bay choked big time down the stretch and Denver, as I mentioned gleefully before, blew their playoff chances by losing by 31 points.

Their three games prior to that? Losses, all three times - To Pittsburgh, Atlanta...and Indianapolis. So the Chargers paid the Colts back, didn't they? Perhaps they're thinking that they owe the Steelers, now too?

Well, 14 years of hate trumps seven weeks of hate. Realistically, I feel that the Steelers should have this thing wrapped up by the middle of the third quarter. However, that is not the Steelers way. As I have watched this gallant - and heroically flawed - team over the years, the one thing that carried over from the Cowher era to the Tomlin era is the team's seeming inability to put their foot on an opponent's throat and let the blood flow.

I've seen enough 20-13, 17-13, 27-20, 24-20, etc. games in the past 17 years to last me a lifetime. When the rare blowout occurs, it's great. But - don't go to sleep on a Steelers game. You pretty much have to watch the whole damn thing to make sure they've wrapped it up.

I'm going to go out on a limb. My pick: Steelers 23, Chargers 9. That's about as close to a blowout as you're likely to see from the Steelers.

Unlike Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin, I am looking ahead. And I will mention here that I am root, root, rooting for Tennessee in the other game. The Chargers aren't the only team that should feel like it owes someone payback. Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher can say that his players stomping on the Terrible Towel doesn't mean anything, and, in reality, he's right. But, football players aren't like non-football folk. They often need motivation and bulletin board material. And I know that towels and such don't win games. But it's the principle of the thing.

Here we go, Steelers! Here we go! Luv Ya Black N' Gold!

Eagles Fly On

This entry is late, so there's not much point in going into heavy details of the Eagles' win in Minnesota. To be honest, it's a game they should have won. They were the better team. The fact that it took them until the 4th quarter to finally break away was mostly the result of a very lackadaisical first half (the kind of half they can ill afford if they hope to beat the Giants this week). But they came to play in the second half, completely dominating the Vikings on both sides of the ball. McNabb handled bad field position in the third quarter like the veteran he is, twice leading the Eagles on long drives that, while they did not produce any points, ate up the clock, wore down the Vikings' defense, and shifted the field position. The Birds' defense and Westbrook did the rest.

Peterson had a good first half, but he basically disappeared in the second half as the Eagles defense shut him down. Meanwhile, Westbrook's brilliant touchdown run is the type of highlight that will be replayed for years to come. Yes, there was great blocking on the play, but there are only a handful of backs in the entire league who could have taken that screen pass all the way to the house. Okay, so I guess I wrote more about the game than I was planning to. Anyway, on to the Giants.

This is going to be a tough game for the banged-up Birds as they must now travel to the Meadowlands after a very physical game in Minnesota to face a well-rested Giants team, especially if the brutal weather being predicted for the game comes to pass. An optimist would say that the Eagles just dominated the Giants a month ago and they can do it again. A pessimist would say that it's very difficult in the NFL to beat the same team twice in such a short span, especially a division rival. An optimist would say that the Eagles have been on a roll over the last month while the Giants finished the season 1-3. A pessimist would say that a bad weather game favors a running team like the Giants.

All of the above points are valid, but in the end this is a game that will largely be decided by the Eagles' defensive line. In the first matchup this season, the Giants won the game by running all over the Eagles' defense. In the second game, the Eagles shut down the Giants' running attack and dominated the game from start to finish. If the Birds can shut down the Giants' backs, they should win the game, because Manning will not beat them. Of course the wildcard, as always, is Andy Reid. If he tries to throw the ball 40-50 times in blustery conditions, it could get ugly. However, if he sticks to the running game even if it's not working (as he admirably did last week), I like the Eagles' chances.

As for my prediction . . . come on, do you really think I'm picking against the Eagles? Whether it's my head or heart speaking doesn't matter. This is a blog, not a newspaper. With that in mind, we're looking at a close game, as every Eagles/Giants matchup seems to be. In a defensive struggle, I will go with the Birds' defense, which is playing as well as any in the NFL right now, having given up 14 points or less in five straight games. The weather will keep the final score fairly low: Eagles 20, Giants 16.

It's a Pennsylvania Kinda Weekend, Eagles Style

Praise whatever god you fancy, the weekend is finally here. All the conversation ends and the games begin. Whew! Since I've spent the better part of the week listening to Eagles and Giants fans mouth off about this game, I figured it was time I put my thoughts out there.

Eagles at Giants

As I said, I've heard so much about this game, you'd think it WAS the Super Bowl. As it is, it's a real tasty appetizer for the big game.

Giants fans drone on about their consistency, their defense and the fact that they are the defending Super Bowl champs. Brandon Jacobs is back in the lineup, so the Eagles are toast. Earth, Wind and Fire will take the Eagles D by storm, and that's that.

Eagles fans drone on about the last six games - with the 44-6 Dallas drubbing and the Playoff win over Minnesota taking center stage. There's rhetoric about Donovan McNabb having something to prove since he was benched. Then there's the beards.

But this is one of those divisional games. The Eagles lost at home to the Giants. The Giants lost at home to the Eagles. That won't happen again, say Giants fans. Both teams downplay the negative aspects of their situations.

For the Giants, fuggedabout the loss to the Browns (35-14? yikes!) and the close shave with the Bengals (overtime?). Forget about Plaxico Burress and his excellent marksmanship. Forget about the listless losses down the stretch, including a loss to the Eagles, the fading Cowboys and the Vikings, a team that the Eagles just dispatched.

For the Eagles, pay no mind to the maddeningly inconsistency of the season - weak losses to Chicago and Washington, a tie against the Bengals and a nearly crushing, boring 10-3 loss to the roadkill 'Skins in a must-win game. And forget about all this pass-run ratio nonsense. All is well.

So here it is. In the first Eagles/Giants game, ESPN.com's Matt Mosley called it this way: "If there's such a thing as a dominant narrow win, that's what we witnessed Sunday night." A dominant narrow win. In a 36-31 game that ended on a failed Eagles 4th-and-1 attempt. I don't see any domination in that score.

Let's check the stats:

Manning: 17 of 31 for 191 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
McNabb: 17 of 36 for 194 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Pretty even there. Jacobs had 126 yards rushing and two scores, for which the Eagles had no answer. The Eagles had 106 yards rushing total that day. The Eagles had one sack, the Giants none. For the most part, the stats are about even, with a slight edge to the Giants for their superior rushing totals. And after all this, it was a five point game that could have gone either way.

Matchup number two, in Philadelphia ended 20-14, but it wasn't really that close. The Giants scored a TD in garbage time, a 1-yard TD catch from Eli Manning to Darcy Johnson with 15 seconds left.

McNabb passed for 191 yards this time, and had a TD pass and no picks. Manning had 123 yards passing, a TD pass and no picks. The difference here was All-Eagle Brian Westbrook's 131 yards, 30-yard touchdown run and 40-yard touchdown reception. Jacobs had 52 yards on the ground and no TDs. Amazingly, neither team had a sack. Surprising for two teams with such stout defenses.

It all looks pretty even to me. But all of that means nothing. Last year's Super Bowl win means nothing. The last six games mean nothing. Last week's playoff win means nothing.

As always, it comes down to this: These teams know each other very well, and it will probably come down to who has the ball last. For both teams - if the defenses plays come out with their usual excellent performances and the offenses avoid turnovers and dumb mistakes, then the game is won. This could be a 6-3 game, but I am thinking that these two teams will really want to pound the snot out of each other.

Given probable weather conditions - cold and windy - the passing games should be a bit subdued. Westbrook versus Brandon Jacobs should take center stage. The defenses both know this - and they welcome the challenge. But then....Andy Reid usually can't resist scratching that passing itch....

The pick: Eagles 26, Giants 17.

I just think that the Eagles have been playing better late in the season and they haven't had a break. The Giants have been resting, and sometimes that layoff can carry over. Add to this the fact that I suspect that the Giants feel that they will win this game easily and are looking to see who they'll face the following week. I think the Eagles feel that they are just not finished yet. And I don't think they are either.

Homeristic? You bet. And what's wrong with that? E-A-G-L-E-S. Eagles!